Married Priests Available!

[wel_mel_2]

Bismillah: Assalamo Alikum.


I found the following to be very interesting!!! Priests but married??!!


Salam


Wael.

To: RELIGION EDITORS
Contact: CITI Ministries, Inc., +1-800-774-3789, Fax: +1-207-729-7674, citi@rentapriest.com


BRUNSWICK, Maine, March 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Holy Week and Easter services, considered among the most holy in the Catholic Church, will not take place in many of the U.S. parishes this year due to a severe shortage of priests. Recent and continuing sexual abuse revelations have resulted in shortfalls and churches closing in most dioceses, leaving parishioners with no Lenten or other rituals. Nursing homes and other institutions are also without sacramental or pastoral assistance.


Rentapriest.com, a free referral service of CITI Ministries (Celibacy Is the Issue) offers contact information for married priests in almost every state. They are available for confession, Mass, blessings and other Holy Week services in parishes, public halls, private homes as well as nursing homes, prisons and other institutions.


Church law has provisions for the use of married priests either in or out of the church building, when no priest is available, providing the request comes from the people of God. Church law also says that "practice can become law" in the church (Canon Law #27). Many are reminded that female altar servers were not allowed in the 1980s. However, parishes just ignored the Vatican dictates and used them anyway. The same can happen with married priests.


Over 70,000 individuals have been spiritually served by married priests over the past 10 years. Baptisms, marriages, anointing of the sick, funerals, in-home Mass are just a few examples. According to founder/president Louise Haggett, "CITI is not a protest organization. We see our work as an adjunct to the church, which has been quietly applauded by several bishops. We exist only to provide ministry where needed because of the tremendous shortages. We also serve many people who have been turned away by the Catholic institution: divorced Catholics, interfaith situations and others. Jesus never turned anyone away. Neither will married priests."


More information and a list of priests are available at http://www.rentapriest.com or by calling 1-800-PRIEST 9 (774-3789). According to Haggett, "No one should be without Easter services, and it's unlikely that any hierarchical figure will stop parishes from inviting married priests without permission. Several home Masses are already scheduled to celebrate during Holy Week. These are listed on the website, http://www.rentapriest.com."


SOURCE CITI Ministries, Inc.

Married Priests Available for Holy Week

[Curious Christian]

Half true.


A priest is only a priest if they are ordained in the apostolic succesion of Peter. There are those who fake it out there.


However, there does exist a pastoral provision for married priests. For example, a former Anglican Priest who is married can eventually be ordained into the Catholic Church as a priest. There aren't that many though.


Priestly celibacy isn't the reason that there are few priests.

[wel_mel_2]

Bismillah:


I was able to locate this website (Married Priests Now) , it contains alot of information.


Salam


Wael

[Curious Christian]

OK wel...but that is a fringe group which isn't sanctioned by the Vatican.

[Faith Hope Charity]

In the Name of God - Father Son Holy Spirit.


May the Peace of Christ be with you!

A priest is only a priest if they are ordained in the apostolic succesion of Peter. There are those who fake it out there.


However, there does exist a pastoral provision for married priests. For example, a former Anglican Priest who is married can eventually be ordained into the Catholic Church as a priest. There aren't that many though.


Priestly celibacy isn't the reason that there are few priests.

CITI ministries & the like are lay movements at best. Their men are definitely not valid priests.


Just so you guys are aware, there are Eastern Catholic Rites, i.e. Maronites, Melkites, etc, who are in communion with Rome & allow their diocesan priests to marry before they receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders. This has been a life-long tradition & fully approved by Rome.


Celibacy of the Priesthood is neither biblical nor is it a dogma. The Church has exercised her authority to restrict Latin Rite priests from marrying (for extremely good reasons) under the Code of Canon Law, however, this teaching can & may be changed in the future (but it's highly unlikely).


There's no shortage of priests. Never will be, Insha a Allah!


God bless.


<i>Faith Hope Charity Openness Tolerance Equality</i>

[wel_mel_2]

Bismillah:Assalamo Alikum.

Celibacy of the Priesthood is neither biblical nor is it a dogma. The Church has exercised her authority to restrict Latin Rite priests from marrying (for extremely good reasons) under the Code of Canon Law, however, this teaching can & may be changed in the future (but it's highly unlikely).


There's no shortage of priests. Never will be, Insha a Allah!

How can you say that when in fact marriages of priests was banned only in 1022 by Pope Benedict VIII.


I also found this information on the net.

<b>CATHOLIC PRIESTS WERE MONOGAMOUS AND POLYGAMOUS BUT MADE CELIBATE.
</b>
due to the widespread illiteracy of the scriptures, especially that of the Gentile believers who were totally ignorant of the Torah, whatever the Catholic priests said were considered as God’s Law and divine truths. One area of total distortion was that of marital relationship. Surprising to almost all of us, it was common for Catholic priests to have multiple wives and mistresses. In 726AD, it was acceptable for a man with a sick wife to take a second wife so long as he looked after the first one. With concerns for protecting Church property from inheritance however, offspring could not inherit church property and it was later declared that all sons of priests were illegitimate. In 1022, Pope Benedict VIII banned marriages for priests (monogamous or polygamous). Finally in 1139, Pope Innocent II voided all marriages of priests and all new priests had to divorce their wives. All these were done to possess and protect money and church property. Making polygamy a sin and marriage unacceptable for a priest was a slow and purposeful process.

SOURCE


Salam


Wael.

[wel_mel_2]

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican said Saturday that married Anglican priests will be admitted to the Catholic priesthood on a case-by-case basis as Rome makes it easier for disillusioned conservative Anglicans to convert.


A surprise Vatican decision, announced 10 days earlier to make it easier for Anglicans to become Roman Catholics while retaining aspects of Anglican liturgy and identity, had left some wondering whether Rome would embrace married Anglican clergy in large numbers.


A Holy See statement Saturday quoted Cardinal William Levada, the Holy See's guardian of doctrinal correctness, as saying the Vatican would consider accepting married Anglican priests into the Roman Catholic priesthood as it has in the past — evaluating each case on its own merits.


The Roman Catholic church requires its priests to be celibate, except in the case of the Eastern rite Catholics, who are allowed to be ordained if married. But over the last decades, it has also quietly allowed married Anglican clergy to stay priests when converting to Catholicism.


In no case could a married man become a bishop, and the new rules would exclude any married Anglican bishop from retaining that post.


As for possibly admitting married Anglican seminarians to the Catholic priesthood, Levada said "objective criteria about any such possibilities (e.g. married seminarians already in preparation) are to be developed" for approval by the Holy See.


Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi dismissed what he called some media speculation that there was "disagreement about whether celibacy will be the norm for the future clergy" among converting Anglicans.


He quoted Levada as saying "there is no substance to such speculation," and that the only reason why the rules regarding the converting Anglicans haven't been published yet was due to "technical" reasons. He predicted work on the new rules would be completed by the end of the first week of November.


Pope Benedict XVI has dedicated a good part of his papacy since 2005 welcoming traditionalists into Rome's fold.


Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of Anglicans worldwide, wasn't consulted about the changes but will have the opportunity to discuss the state of Catholic-Anglican relations when he meets with Benedict on Nov. 21 during a visit to Rome.


The Vatican's easing the way for Anglicans to convert might undermine decades of efforts between the Holy See and Anglican leaders over how they might possibly unite.


Anglicans split with Rome in 1534 when the Vatican refused to give English King Henry VIII a marriage annulment. The Anglican communion includes the Episcopalian Church in the United States.


Some Anglican faithful, unhappy over progressive reforms in their church, consider themselves Catholics although they have not yet officially joined the Roman Catholic church.


Anglicans have been divided over such issues as admitting women to the priesthood. The rift was torn wide open in 2003, when the Episcopal Church in the United States consecrated V. Gene Robinson, as the first openly gay bishop.


Also disenchanting Anglican conservatives has been the blessing of same-sex marriages.


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